Sunday Bloody Sunday
by DearJanuary
Summary: How the war in Iraq seeps it's way into the Degrassi kids lives.
1. Innocent

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi or any of it's characters. However, I did create a few random characters here and there.**

On their lunch break, Degrassi students filled the Dot but, not for the usual reasons - to chat with theirs friends on the latest gossip, rant on how awful their homeroom teacher is or to make plans for the weekend. They were all squished in to whatever crevise of spot they could find with their eyes glued to the screen mounted up in the far right corner.

Ever since Canada had agreed and sent their troops out to Iraq, they place had been on pins and needles. Now with talk of the draft, everyone was concerned. They were concerned about their economic state, for their brothers, their fathers, their boyfriends, husbands, and for their rights.

"I don't know what I'm more upset about," Emma sighed hunched over the small lunch table made for two but had been crowded around by anyone who could fit. "The fact that their is a war going on or that women are being denied the right to join the military."

"Can it, Greenpeace." Alex shushed her form behind, crossing her arms as she stood up trying to concentrate on the news cast.

_"General Nash has sent out a public statement saying that the draft has been confirmed and the names of soliders who will have to respond for training and battle immeaditly will be released on Sunday." _The news caster with vasaline shining on her teeth announced and then quickly moved onto the coverage about the adaptation of _Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?_ that the community daycare was hosting.

At first nobody knew how to respond, a few quiet mutters were heard followed by chattery whisper, the tension and uncertainly filled the popular hang out. Emma's eyes were filled with tears but, she was trying the best she could to keep them in, trying so hard it hurt her ribs.

"Em, don't worry about it, it's all going to work itself out." Manny tried to remind her, rubbing her back for comfort.

"No, Manny, it won't be just fine." She protested. "Snake might get drafted and his health is already in danger and Sean..." She was getting more and more choked up with each word. "I don't want to lose them."

"It's going to work out." Was all Manny could think to whisper.

All the Degrassi students piled into the gymnasium for an inpromtu assembly about the draft. The staff and administration wanted to inform the students and prepare them in any way they could. They had brought in General Nash and General Mason to talk to the studnets what they should expect and how it is their duty as Canadian citizens to protect and fight for their country. A few familliar faces who'd long left Degrassi even snuck in - Jay and Sean, still fully dressed in their mechanic jumpsuits. They stoo dwith their backs against the back wall, in case they had to make a quick escape out. Loud chattering filled the entire gymnasium but, notbody could quite make out the bulk of it. Mrs. H took the stage and cleared her throat in the microphone, but nothing changed. No silence commenced, she tried once more and again - nothing.

"Hey!" She finally shouted into the microphone, all at once she captured the students attention. "Thank you." She cleared her throat softly. "I'm sure you've all been informed about the news of the draft and I know you all have all sorts of questions. This is the time to ask them, we've got two of the Generals of the Canadian Armed Forces here to answer those questions and help but, your minds at ease." She waited a beat before saying anythign else. Her long volumized blonde hair curtained her face as she stared down at the tips of her shoes. "I don't believe in sending young men off to dangerous areas to kill one another and put their lives on the line, no matter the cause. But, since Canada decided to bring back the draft, we'll have to obide. I know this is going to be a tumultious time for everyone in one way or another, so I urge you all to see a counsellor or any of your teachers. Things are going to change but, I promise, we'll rise above it all." She said while swallowing the lump in her throat. Her eyes kept averting down into the crowd and glancing at her son, Peter, who was sitting slouched in his chair and seemed to be trying to ignore the truth that faced everyone. "So, without further ado, welcome General Nash and General Mason."

Spinner couldn't stand the sight of his father up their in his army greens. He always had a pretty good relationship with his dad, even with the clashing of heads and occasional fights but, mostly it was peaceful. He grew up with his dad on the police force so, he knew what worry and danger felt like. However, now, he knew he'd be picked for draft, that he was destined to be sent off to shave his head, pick up a machine gun, and kill for peace. He couldnt' stand listening to his dad preach to these young men and women about how important this is and how it's all for the best. He rolled his eyes and stepped out of the aisle of chairs he'd been sitting in. Emma caught a glimpse of him leaving and watched at the door for him to leave when she noticed Sean and Jay standing by. She waved at Sean discreetly for her to come sit in the now vacant chair behind her. Trying to stay unnoticed, he did just that. He planted a quick peck on her lips before fully sitting down.

"I can't stand this." She muttered under her breath. "War and hatrid like this is what killed JT, maybe not on the same scale but when you get down to the core that's what did it. I can't believe this, war is so ignorant."

A few students around her tried to shush her but she quickly fixed them with her death stare.

"Don't worry about it, Em." Sean just tapped her shoulder and stared at the two Generals on stage, listening closely. Emma was getting tired of everybody telling her that.

"I swear waiting until Sunday to find out the results of the draft is going to drive me mental." Manny exclaimed, pulling her head back while leaving with the crowd out of the gymnasium.

"I don't think I'll sleep." Emma agreed. "Sean, is there anyway you can avoid getting drafted?" She asked with all sorts of faith trying to be conjured up in her eyes.

"Emma, you heard General Nash, this is a noble cause, it's a honor. Plus, I have to go."

"Couldn't you cheat on your medical exam?" She pressed.

"You could snort some coke before pissing in the cup?" Charming as always, Jay chimed in.

"Do it!" Emma agreed loudly. Both Manny and Sean stopped to stare at her in surprise. "Okay, I'm not saying Jay's right," She smirked up at him and he just glared back. "And I'm certainly not saying you should do coke. I just don't want to see you go."

"Don't worry about it, Em." Sean repeated himself, rubbing her shoulders.

"Stop saying that! This is something to worry over. Stop thinking about it so lightly." She stormed off, sick of nobody acting like this was serious. She knew she wasn't the only person who was concerned about this.

"I'll go talk to her." Manny reluctantly groaned and followed the path Emma had made outside.

Marco sat with his hands folded over the table at The Dot for dinner. Ellie was next to him, trying to listen to him but, at the same time, she was scribbling viciously on a mad of paper. With the draft being announced, she was overcome with ideas to write about. She just didn't want to think about her dad being sent out to war or any of the other men she loved, writing was the only healthy way she knew to distract herself. Her long red hair curled cascaded down onto the papers while she wrote.

"I don't know what to do, Elle. I mean, I don't stand a chance in war. I'd be like the gazelle who thinks it's safe to go to the watering hole when it's the lion's turn."

Ellie nodded in complete agreement.

"And Dylan, I mean, yeah, he's tougher than any of those guys, but what if I was to lose him? I can't even think about this." He rambled on.

On the other end of The Dot, in his uniform, Spinner stood in front of the drink dispenser waiting for his glasses of juice to fill up for table four. He was usually cracking up all the waiter's and waitresses and talking up a storm with his customers but with the knowledge that he'd be off in a battle zone across the equater had him stuck in a chronic silence. Wandering over to him with her Belgium chocolate hair tied in a pony tail fountaining off her head, one of the new waitresses balanced her back on the counter and stood next to him.

"Could you help me out?" She asked him with a sweet sincerity in her voice. She spoke the way Spinner figured Tinkerbell would speak if she just lost her attitude. The waitresses was a new addition to The Dot but, she seemed to fit into their puzzle really well. Spinner had only worked with her one shift prior to this one but, they never really spoke. He couldn't even remember her name.

"I'm sort of busy, P-" He tried to remember but he didn't have a clue. There was nothing on the tip of his tongue. "Can you give me a hint?" He scrunhed his eyebrows down and glanced at her, loading his tray with the glasses of juice.

"Pem." She told him.

"Good hint." He wandered over to table four and handed them out their beverages and let them know their meals would be right up. When he arrived back and walked into the kitchen to check if any of his orders were up on the line, Pem was right behind him.

"What do you need, P-" His mind was so full of doubt, worry, confusion, faith, what if's and maybe's.

"Pem." She said again. "I wanted to ask you some questions." She smiled simply. She could tell the moment he punched in for work that something was wrong. Just by how out of character he'd be asking and she was always the type to butt in and inquire.

"What?"

"Well, why is this war going on?" She asked but by the sound of her voice and the innocent expression on her face, it seemed rhetorical to Spinner. He turned his head while typing out a bill on the till and waited for her to continue. "Why is their draft? Why can't women participate? Why do people watch _Survivor_?"The last question seemed to be her only serious one.

"I don't know." He scrunched his eyebrows down again and said, he was sort of unsure about this girl.

"But, more importantly, why are you so blue?" She leaned up against the wall of the alley, as he waited for the bill to print.

"The same reason most people are." He stared down at the blue screen, non-chalantly. He tried to hide what was obviosuly scribbled all over is face but, he couldn't. Not from Pem, at least.

"Yeah, but what freaks you out the most?"

He sighed, exasperated but, he knew this girl wasn't going to back off until she was satisfied with his answer. So, he settled on telling her the truth.

"Nobody here would worry about me." He stated, looking straight into her midnight sky eyes for the first time through their encounter. He had a husky sennestive sound in his voice. "I don't care how selfish that sounds, but, that's what bugs me the most. My last girlfriend, who I basically changed my whole world for. I cut a lot of people out of my life for her, which might've been for the best, I changed my whole spirtual world for her, I _re-virginitized _myself!" He proclaimed loudly, the girl stepped back and with her eyes as wide as saucers, she sort of chuckled. "Now, she doesn't even look at me in the halls. The other girl I really cared about, she doesn't really live here anymore and we barely know each other. My mom's going to be so preoccupied with trying to raise and finance the house and my sister while I'm away and she'll probably be mostly concerned about my dad, so, basically, I have no one."

"You could write to me." Pem shrugged her shoulders and took her turn on the till, punching in orders for one of her booths. She didn't even pause for a second after his ramble. She just let the idea out.

"Yeah?" Spinner loaded another tray with two plates and held the other, steaming hot, in his free hand.

"Sure." She shrugged. "I like getting mail." She patted his back and wandered away to greet her latest table.

Suddenly, a little bit of Spinner was at ease, that didn't change the fact that he'd be sent off to a war zone in a matter of time.

_So, here's the first chapter of what I hope to make a really in-depth story._

_I'll have all sorts of fandoms in it and I've already got some ideas but if you have ideas or requests, let me know._

_I hope you guys like it, review, please!_


	2. Won't Back Down

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi.**

Ellie checked the temperture on the stove and dipped her finger in the nearly boiling water. It didn't burn too badly since her reflexes were so quick. She was listening intently to Craig sitting on her sofa, strumming the making's of a song on a guitar.

"That sounded just like the one you played before it." Alex spat, leaning foreword in the chair she had dubbed hers weeks ago.

"It was in a completely different key, not to mention there was no middle eighth." Craig explained to her in the simpliest terms.

"I liked it." Ellie piped up from the kitchen. "Can I get anybody anything while I'm up?" She asked, peering in her next to empty fridge. Dylan had his protein formulas and bars thrown through out it and Marco always had left overs from his trips to his mom's house but that was basically all it contained.

"Actually, yeah." Craig nodded, still fingering the strings. "Could you get your dad on the phone and tell him to call off this draft?" He turned himself around, so he could stare at Ellie. She just bent a smile over her face and wandered over next to him.

"I second that!" Marco squeaked.

"He's not in charge of that. What are you so worried about?" She asked, innocently. "Yes, I hated seeing my dad go away to battle when I was younger and I can't stand the thought of both of you both leaving but, serving in the war is looked at one of the noblest, selfless and bravest things you can do."

"Who looks at it that way, Elle?" Marco's big puppy Italian eyes shot into hers. "I'd like to have a talk with them."

"It's just," Craig took a deep breath and put the guitar down while talking. "The whole music scene's really taking off for me right now. I'm going places, I've got huge venues lined up. This war couldn't be coming at a worse time."

"You're so right." Alex sighed and chimed in before anybody else could. "Ellie, call your dad up and tell him to postpone the war, Craig has huge venues lined up." Alex quickly fixed her face to it's normal snarly look. Ellie just laughed in agreement.

"Sure, I sound like a child but, I have wanted this for fifteen years, Alex. What have you wanted for fifteen years?" Alex didn't say a word. "That's right, nothing!" He said like he had defeated.

"You're right, Craig, there isn't anything I want that badly because fifteen years ago I was three and if I still wanted to marry the Blue Power Ranger, I would've figured something went terribly wrong in my life."

As if on cue, to save her from the arguement she was preparing to have with Craig, her phone began to beep in her sweatshirt pouch. She fished it out and balanced it between her shoulder and her ear.

"Yep?" She answered.

"Way to be, Craig." Ellie nudged him, getting up to get check the Kraft Dinner she was preparing.

"I'm sorry, Elle, I'm just passionate about this. I don't want to go off to war."

"I got to run." She clicked her phone off and sounded more annoyed than before.

"Everything okay?" Ellie checked with her friend while stirring around the little noodles.

"Uh - Yeah, I have to go Jay sitting." She rolled her eyes. "I'll see you."

"Bye, Alex!" Marco waved, followed by Craig, who'd returned to fiddling around on his acoustic guitar. Alex let herself and fled to the bus stop.

Sitting on the beat up couch in his new apartment flipping through the television stations, Sean stared at the blue light reflecting from the TV screen that shone around him giving him a UFO-like glow. He could sense Emma's tension without even looking at her, touching her or listening to her. Hudled up next to him on the couch, she was knitting a mile a minute. He figured she had made enough clothing to fill Cher's tour wardrobe.

"How can you just sit here and watch TV?" She finally exclaimed. She couldn't hold it any longer.

Sean turned his head around and tried to read the expression on her face that was pretty clear.

"I asked if you wanted to go to the driving range, you said no."

"Sean, you are most likely going to be sent off to Iraq to fight -"

"You don't know that." He cut her off.

"There's a good chance and you're sitting here, watching infomericals," She fanned her arms around like it was nothing. "like it's just an ordinary day."

"I just don't think it's anything to get worked up over."

"How do you figure that?" She held one arm over her pelvis.

"If I have to go, I'll go. If I don't, I won't." His philosphy made perfect sense to him. Before Emma could fight him on it, there was a knock at their door followed by large calls and noises of crashing. Emma's eyes averted to the door and Sean rushed over to open it revealing Alex hunched over with a shit-faced Jay hanging off her arms.

"Hey, he needs a place to crash and he can't go to his place, I'd volunteer mine but, I've been locked out." She exclaimed her eyes dark and hollowed and her bones sore from carrying Jay up the six flights of stairs since the elevator took too long.

"WAR!" Jay shouted tilting his head from side to side. "What is it good for? Absoluetly nothing, uh! Say it again now." He sang aloud to the classic rock song that was only playing in his head at the moment.

"You know where to go."

This was routine for the three of them. Jay would get smashed, Alex would come to his rescue and Sean would let him stay over or Jay would pick Alex up trashed and they would sleep in his Honda. Emma just glared at them both and returned to knitting.

"Hey Emma Bo Bemma Bo Nanana Bo Emma." Jay winked in what looked like her direction to him, swinging one arm around to help balance him out.

"Sorry to interupt your date." Alex groaned. Sean quickly came to her rescue to try and help her out.

"Whatever." Emma muttered pretty much inaudiable but Alex heard.

"You don't go down on my boyfriend and we're even."

Emma still couldn't believe that Alex hadn't just buried that like it should've been a long time ago. Lucky for her, Sean didn't want to hear about it and told Alex to just leave it be. She rolled her eyes and went into Sean's bedroom to lie Jay down. Sean re-appeared on his couch in a matter of seconds.

"I feel so safe." Emma shook her head and snarled. "Knowing our country will be protected by the all mighty Dragonbreath Hogart." She allowed herself to chuckle. Sean didn't say a word. He knew his best friend was a screw up but, perhaps the war could be good for Jay. He really didn't want to get into another fight surrounding Jay though, so he remained silent.

"You know," Her voice shifted into a softer tone, the one Sean preferred. "Tommorrow might be our last night together." She put down her knitting and needles by her feet and snuggled her head against his arm. Sean hadn't even thought about that, he'd just got back and now he was being possibly being shipped away. Placing his hand over her arm, staring at the screen, he felt scared for th first time during all this chaos.

"Alright." Alex stood up straight and stared down at the burly boy laying mindlessly on Sean's dirty sheets. She couldn't believe that she still looked out for him and remained as his faithful friend to this day. A grin creeped up on her face as she watched him. "See ya." She went to leave the room when Jay began to moan all sorts of mumbo jumbo she couldn't understand. He scuffed his hand underneath his baseball cap and knocked it over his face making it even harder to understand him.

"You say something?" She questioned standing in the door frame, her silhouette draping over a bit of him.

'"I said I want to go fight." He slurred.

"Why?" It didn't sound logical to Alex but, it was very seldom that Jay was logical.

"I might be- luge - luge..." Jay searched for the word.

"Belong?" She helped him out.

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled like a crazy fool. "There I might belong." He continued to swagger and rock on the bed, from side to side and back again.

"You might belong in Iraq?" Alex tried to piece the puzzle together.

"No. Just war - I could do it. People always threaten to send me there."

"To Iraq?" She guessed.

"No!" He shouted. "To war, you moron." His blue eyew open wide and he began to chuckle at her.

"Yes, maybe, this will be good for you." She settled on saying. She just wanted to leave and figure out how to get into her apartment seeing as the lock wouldn't budge.

"I just wish - I just want -" He tried but he couldn't say what was ringing true in his head and had been since he had gotten to the bar.

"What Jay?" She was getting very iritatted and thumped her foot on the ground rapidly. "What do you wish and want, Jay? What?" She wnated him to just spit it out. Though she'd been drunk multiple times, she had no paitence.

"I would like it if you could come with me."

"To Iraq?" She questioned.

"Yeah. I'll miss ya." And with that, he turned completely on his stomach, his face stretched against the mattress.

It might've been said in a drunken slur and from her idiot of a friend and it might've been strange but it warmed Alex's insides and made her feel wanted for a brief moment. She closed the bedroom door and left Jay to sleep the alchol off.

"He's out. I'll see you later." She waved them goodbye and helped herself to the door.

"See you, Lex." Sean waved. Emma just watched the girl leave - they would never manage to be on decent terms it would seem.

It wasn't until she had made it out of Sean's apartment that Jay's comment filled her head with one her possibly greatest ideas - at least to her. It was dangerous but, she was ready.


	3. The Night Before Life Goes On

**CHAPTER THREE: THE NIGHT BEFORE LIFE GOES ON**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi, I did create the character of Pem, though.**

**Part One: Beautiful Day**

Saturday approached the Degrassi community quicker than sun melted a popsicle laying out on the pavement. Nobody was looking foreword to the draft but no one seemed to dread it more than Emma. In her pajama shorts and a tank top, she dragged herself up the stairs to her kitchen for breakfast with her parents and Jack.

"You're sure quiet." Her mom stated the obvious shoveling a spoonful of oatmeal into Jack's already packed mouth. Emma didn't answer, she just took another small spoonful of breakfast. Spike glided her eyes up at her husband and coazed him to say something to Emma.

He cleared his throat and asked, "What's on your mind?"

Again, Emma said nothing.

"Em?" Spike pressed on.

"I was thinking about the draft." She confessed in one large breath.

"We can't go a moment without talking about this war, can we?" Snake, who had the paper folded opened on the table, which had a large picture of three caskets belonging to soliders with the Canadian flag drapped over them.

"It's serious, Snake. What if you get drafted?" She finally looked up from her bowl of oatmeal.

"I won't." He shook his head and reached for her hand to rest his over to reassure her.

"You don't know that. Why is everybody just wishful thinking? This is serious." Emma was getting herself worked up, her face already red and flushed.

"No, I do know that, Emma." Snake cleared his throat. "I had my medical examination yesterday afternoon, after the assembly. When word of my cancerous past came up, the doctor assured me I wouldn't be sent. They don't want to send me out to the field where I'd be destined to come across high radiation."

A large grin took over all of Emma as she reached foreword and wrapped Snake in a bear hug. Spike just laughed in complete bliss. That's when it hit Emma, though, right as she was pulling away. She was thrilled that Snake wouldn't have to go to Iraq for the war but, that meant Sean had a better chance of going now. Ecspecially, because his health was tip top.

That afternoon, Emma took the bus all the way to the otherside of town where the autobody Sean worked at was. She pushed through the doors and over to the station he was usually postioned at. He was on his back beneath a black Sunfire causing all sorts of racket beneath it.

"Sean." She spoke up to alert him he was there. In a moment, he slid out and stared up at her.

"Hey, nice surprise." He beared a teeth filled smile at her. He was even more surprised when he noticed her holding a large McDonald's bag in her hand. Emma was against fast food joints, meat and Gem Foods. That was what most people knew Emma for. "What's in the bag?" He sat up and leaned his back against the vechile.

"Two quater pounders with cheese and large fry and a six piece McNugget." She recicted out of breath with a pale look of panic on her face.

"Why?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"I want you to be unhealthy." She stated as clear as she could. Sean clenched his eyes together and wondered if he heard her right. Ever since news of the draft broke out, Emma had been stranger than usual. "If your medical exam shows poor results, they probably won't send you. So, eat up!" She pushed the bag right in his face, so he could inhale all the scent of the greasy greatness that sat inside.

"I already had my examination, Em." He chuckled. "But, Thanks." he reached up and took the bag from her.

"Are you serious?" She sat down on a metal bench with his tool box on it. "What happened? What did the doctor say?"

"Not a lot." Sean shrugged pushing a few fries into his mouth. He swallowed and then continued. "She took the tests she had to and then dismissed me."

"Sean, I'm so worried."

"Really? You fake it well." He teased.

"It's nice that one of us thinks this is so funny."

Hesitantly, Sean sat up with his McDonald's bag and took a seat next to her, rubbing her back and giving her a salt filled kissed on her glossy lips.

"You said it, last night, this could be our last night, so let's stop worrying and go out and have a blast."

That sounded terrific to Emma.

**Part Two: Easy Silence **

Once the night rolled around everyone had took to one another. They were ither staying in for the last bit of family time they'd have in a long while or were going on the ultimate dates with their girlfriends. The lone ranger, Spinner, wandered through the doors of the Dot even though he'd booked the night off.

"What brings you here, General Mason?" Pem smiled in the low night light inside the resturant.

"Don't call me that." He lightly smiled and shook his head while taking a seat at the counter. "That's my dad."

"Well, _Spinner_, shouldn't you be out courting one of the lovely Degrassi chickies or crowded around your plasma screen watching a Will Ferrel movie with your family?"

"I should but, I have no chickies and my dad and mom are out on a date." He sighed, holding his head up with one hand. "How pathetic is that? My dad's got a date and I don't."

"If that's not a rhetorical question, it sounds pretty pathetic." Pem joked, playfully hitting Spinner in the arm. "Why don't you go out with your friends? I know you have no shortage of those."

"They've all got plans set in stone for this evening."

"Makes sense." She nodded.

"What about you, Pam?"

"Pem." She corrected.

"Right, Pem, sorry." He ran a few fingers through his hair and scoffed, lightly. He couldn't figure out how the name kept escaping his mind. "Why aren't you out?"

"Somebody's got to keep this place going."

Spinner glanced around but, the resturant was throughly dead.

"Shouldn't you be out?"

"Doing what?" Pem pulled a mug from beneath the counter and poured Spinner a cup of luke warm coffee.

"I don't know, hanging out with your friends, being with your boyfriend, watching some Will Ferrel movie with your family?" He teased her with a smidge of a chuckle. She laughed right back and then poured herself some coffee. She leaned foreword over the other side of the counter, so they could really talk.

"My friends are all out spending their invietable last nights together. My boyfriend doesn't exist and my sisters are all off with their boyfriends and my dad isn't around." She answered him the way she would a close friend. He felt completely at ease with her, maybe it was just because she didn't know him, she wasn't aware of the stupid thoughtless things he'd done before, or maybe it was because it seemed like if she did know about those things that she wouldn't really care.

"I'm sorry, Pem."

"You shouldn't be." She shook her head and stretched her back out straight. "He was a great solider, least that's what all his bunk mates tell me. He did what he loved and he died for his country's freedom. There is no reason to be sorry." Spinner had never looked at it that way.

"You're a military brat?" His eyes widened. He was sincerly interested in getting to know this girl as a friend. She wasn't like any of the other girls he knew, physically. She had a little meat on her and gypsy features, brown Anti-Medua hair, southern eyes, a thick Eastern accent and was always wearing one baby hair clip in hair. She had chubby hands that were the same kids as most pre- teens and from what he had noticed her feet couldn't be more than a six 6. He didn't know her much beyond that.

"I was." She pulled up a chair and reached around the counter for a chocolate bar. "I was born in Prince Edward Island and we were based there for a while, then we moved to Lousiana when I was little for a few months," She unwrapped the bar and took a chunk off and popped it into her mouth and offered some to Spinner. He ripped himself a piece still listening to her, comfortably. "Then DC, a brief stunt in Salzburg, then to Winnipeg, and about two months when we got word that my dad was killed by mustard gases in Iraq my mom moved us out here where she grew up." Swallowing the melted trace of chocolate on her tounge, Pem briefly nodded. "What about you? What's your family like?"

Spinner quickly swallowed and then dug right into it.

"We're pretty neutral, actually. My dad was a police officer growing up, it was only recently that he joined the military. He's always just loved having authority and he definately does in our house. My mom works part time at Zeller's but, mostly she's around to help at home. I have a pretty good relationship with them. I don't admit to my friends, but I do." He smiled at that fact. He would never tells his friends that he actually likes his parents. "I've got a younger sister, Kendra."

"Oh yeah, I've seen her come in here." Pem piped up with big eyes.

"Yeah, she comes by a lot. She likes the smoothies." He nodded, thinking about her and how much he'd miss her when in the trenches shooting in Iraq. "She's adopted actually but, it's never felt that way. She's my sister, no matter what."

"She's lucky to have such a comedic for a brother." Pem giggled, ripping another chucnk of the chocolate bar off.

"I haven't been myself lately, have I?" He asked this perfect stranger.

"I guess not but, It's understandable." Pem swallowed the piece quickly. She slid her eyes upward and noticed a stain of chocolate on his lips. She tried not to giggle, holding her arm over her lips, but she couldn't contain her laughter.

"What? What?" He looked around the room for what she was finding so funny. Self consious, he started to look at himself but, he couldn't see what was the matter. "Why are you laughing?"

She just shook her head and grabbed a napkin from behind her. Calming herself down, her eyes a little watery, she reached foreword and dabbed the napkin over his lips and tried to take the chocolate smear off.

"It was just a little chocolate." She showed him and then tossed it in the waste can. "Look, I should probably start to close shop and I bet you want to go find somebody to party with but, I can't wait to get your letters, Spin." She stepped out from behind the counter and pulled up one chair over a clean table.

"Actually, if it's okay with you, I kinded wanted to stay here and talk to you some more."

Pem took a moment to let that sink in. She hadn't made a lot of friends since moving into the neighborhood, so it was moving to her to maybe have found someone she could simply just talk to and have a good laugh with.

"Yeah, that'd be awesome." She agreed and with that said, Spinner hopped off the stool and helped her fold the chairs over the tables.

"So, tell me about living in _Louisanna_." He said the name of the state with his best Southern accent which made her chuckle.

**Part Three: A Night Like This**

Walking home from Ellie and Marco's place where she'd been hanging out with them and Jimmy and Ashley, Alex noticed Jay's car parked at the end of the street, the night wasn't freezing but it was cooling off and steering away from summer weather. She figured he had to be getting kind of chilly. She picked up her pace and knocked on his window. It made her smirk, seeing him jump when she startled him.

"Did I scare you, Jason?" She asked with a silly expression when he rolled his window down.

"I just wasn't expecting it." He tried to keep his cover.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's pitch black out."

"Get in the car, Alex."

"Why?"

"Just get in."

"Jay, I just want to go home. It's Chad's last night there before he gets drafted, so I'd like to dance around in my underwear in my room, that's how victorious i'm feeling." She wrapped her arms around herself and painted Jay a nice picture which only excited him.

"Well, let me drive you. You can get undressed for your bedroom dancing in here."

"You're such a pig." She muttered while wakling around his car and letting herself in the passenger seat. Jay started up his car and it didn't long for Alex to realze they weren't headed in the direction of her place.

"Where are we going?"

"For a drive." He answered simply, turning up the volume to his ear shattering music.

"Why?" She frowned at him.

"I like the scenery in this part of the neighborhood." As if he was taking it all in, he bobbed his head around and checked out the houses around him. Alex dug her sharp unbitten nails into his skin which made him jump again. "Whoa, put away the claws, Kitten." He leaned back and looked just appauled at her. "Here I am trying to do a selfless act for my best girl and she's attacking me."

"Shouldn't you be out crushing beer cans with your head with the rest of your hooligan gang?"

Jay choked up a chuckle.

"Alex, did you seriously just say 'hooligan gang'?"

"You know what I mean." She crossed her arms and slithered down in her seat.

"Well, Moother Goose, as much as I'd love a drink and to have fun, I thought for my last night in our fair community we lovingly call Degrassi, you and me could go to the drive in."

"You did not!" She shot.

"I did, too." He dropped his jaw and pretend to be surprised by her reaction. They both knew each other too well.

"You did not because you're not stupid." He glowed with pride at that comment. "Slimy and mischevious you are but you aren't so stupid that you'd think you could take me to a drive in and get in my pants."

"Trust me tiger, I know better than that." He patted her knee. "Unless, you wanted, too."

"I don't." In a dark tone, she confirmed.

"They're playing one of those silent movies and I thought we could do what we used to."

Alex hadn't a clue what that was.

"You don't remember?!" Jay couldn't believe this. He reached down and turned his music down. "As if, Ale we did it all the time. It's what made me want to come back to your place all those times. You'd do all the female voices and I'd do the guys and we'd make up our own dialoge. We'd end up on the ground with stomach aches from laughing so hard.

"It rings a bell." She nodded but, really she could completely remember now. It was all those silent movie nights that made her want to wrap her legs around his waist, that made her want pour cement all over Jay's body and lay over top of him so when it dried, he couldn't pull away from her because it would hurt too much. It was the way his blue eyes watered when he was laughing so hard and how he'd lay his head on her lap.

"It's how I want to spend my last night." Jay confirmed while turning the music back up.

**Part Four: Sick Cycle Carousel**

Her zip up zipped all the way to the top, Ellie waited outside Craig's house for him to answer. She'd already knocked once and though she was excited to spend her last night with him, Marco and Dylan watching hours of bad old school television, she was trying her best to be paitent. When he finally opened the door, he had a wildman grin on his face and was still finishing laughing.

"Ellie?" He sounded shocked to see her.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, traffic was slow." She nodded. "Ready to go?" She jingled her car keys in her fist.

"Oh, we had plans tonight." He slapped his palm over his forehead. It had completely slipped his mind.

"You were going to come over and watch marathons of cheesy television with Marco, Dylan and I. Time to be nostalgic." She rooted, she wasn't liking the way his eyes kept shifting and how he was sighing shallowly.

"I forgot, I'm sorry. I made plans with Manny tonight."

Ellie could handle the plan fact that Craig had forgotten, he wasn't Mister Reliable ever but, she hated being stood up for Manny, she hated anything that put Manny before her. Ellie suddenly shrank down to ten feet smaller, she felt like a child who was let down because nobody would pay for her pony ride at the circus. She didn't want to think this was really happening. "Sorry, Nash." He said so casually. Making it real for Ellie, she heard Manny hollering at him from the living room.

"No problem." She managed to get out. "No problem, Manning." She tried to fake a laugh.

"I guess, I'll see you tommorrow. We're still all going to go meet where the list is posted at noon, right? That won't slip your mind?" She tried to reform from being hasty.

"Yeah, I promise, I'll be there." He agreed. "Have a good night without me, though."

"You too." Ellie said before heading back to her car completely disapointed in Craig and even more in herself for getting so excited.

More coming up! Please, comment, if you've got any requests for a story, I'm taking them, by the way. Or if you have any suggestions for this story, let me know.

I just thought I should write down what songs I'm naming these after

_Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2_

_Innocent - Our Lady Peace_

_Won't Back Down - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers_

_The Night Before (Life Goes On) - Carrie Underwood_

_Beautiful Day - U2_

_Easy Silence - Dixie Chicks_

_A Night Like This - Tomi Swick_

_Sick Cycle Carousel - Lifehouse_

Chapter Four coming up! Who made the draft, who won't?


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